Foldable stepped stand



March 22, 1955 w. BERG 2,704,383

FOLDABLE STEPPED STAND Filed Aug. 17, 1949 j; ul 49 INVENTOR. 1404 4 6 6 United States Patent FOLDABLE STEPPED STAND Willie Berg, Chicago, Ill.

Application August 17, 1949, Serial No. 110,800

3 Claims. (Cl. 201.126)

The present invention is directed to stands, more particularly to a foldable or collapsible type of a stand which may be readily and compactly stored and easily transported.

There have been on the market various stands which are capable of folding but such stands have had a number of serious disadvantages. In one such structure, the sides, risers and steps of the stands were hinged together by a relatively complex arrangement whereby all of the individual members were folded together when not in use. However, the device was very bulky and it was almost impossible for a reasonable number of men to quickly and correctly fold the stand into its inoperative position. Also, because of the size of such a stand, it lacked mobility and could not be readily transported. Various other constructions of stands had been previously proposed, one of them consisting of a considerable number of members requiring expensive fabrication and being quite bulky. Also, the assembling thereof was burdensome and required a considerable time.

The present invention is intended and adapted to overcome the difiiculties and disadvantages inherent in prior structures of the type described, it being among the objects of the present invention to provide a foldable stand which is simple in construction and relatively easy to produce without the necessity of complicated machinery or highly skilled labor.

It is also among the objects of the present invention to provide a structure of a foldable stand which may be readily and quickly set up or folded for storage or transportation, with the use of a minimum amount of labor and time.

It is further among the objects of the present invention to provide a stand of the type described, which is made in sections, each of the sections being foldable, and wherein a plurality of sections of one or more forms may be assembled to provide any desired size and arrangement of stand.

In practicing the present invention, there is provided a foldable stepped stand unit wherein the steps increase in height from the front to the rear of the stand. In order to provide such steps, there are formed a series of frames, each of which consists of four members hinged together in such a way that the frames may be collapsed for storage. The rear member of one frame constitutes the front member of the adjacent frame so that all of the frames are connected as a single unit.

The step portions are individual members, each of which is adapted to be removably fitted on top of its frame. On the under side of each step is a pair of strips adjacent the edges thereof and in such a position that they fit into the side members of their respective frames, thus holding the frames in open position against accidental displacement. The structure is such that the rear edge of a step fits under a depending member on the front of the adjacent frame and this prevents accidental lifting of the step.

In operating the stand, assuming that the device is in collapsed position with the steps removed, two individuals grasp the end members of the frame and pull, thereby opening the same in a matter of seconds. Then each of the steps is slipped into position on top of its frame so that the complete stand is formed usually in less than one minute. In folding the stand, the reverse procedure is followed. It is a simple matter to thus set up a plurality of stand units alongside of each otherso "ice that the stand for a complete orchestra or choir may be provided within a matter of minutes.

In the accompanying drawing constituting a part hereof and in which like reference characters indicate like parts,

Fig. l is a top plan view of a stand made in accordance with the present invention, the lowest step having been removed to illustrate the hinged arrangement of the frame;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view thereof with all of the steps in position;

Fig. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the frame shown in collapsed position, and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a combination of several stand units to provide a complete stand.

As shown, the stand consists of three units 1, 2 and 3, of progressively greater height. Unit 1 consists of a frame having parallel lateral members 4 and 5 and parallel front and rear members 6 and 7, respectively, to complete the parallelogram. Hinges 8 secure the members together so that they may be folded in the direction of arrow 9, with front and rear frame members 6 and 7 almost in contact. A flat step 10 having strips 11 on the underside thereof is fitted on top of frame 1.

Unit 2 is relatively wider than unit 1 and has a rear member 12 parallel to member 7, which constitutes the from member of unit or frame 2. The parallelogram is completed by side frame members 13 and 14. Hinges 15 are provided to connect the several members of frame 2 together. in lateral members 13 and 14, notches 16 are provided and depending strip 17 is hinged at 18 to the recess 16. The rear edge 19-of step 10 fits under strip 17 and prevents accidental lifting thereof.

Step 20 relatively wider than step 10 has strips 21 at the under-surface thereof adapted to contact members 13 and 14 to prevent collapse of frame 2. When it is desired to fold the same, step 20 is removed and the frame folded in the direction of arrow 22.

Rear frame 3 has a rear member 23 parallel to member 12 which is a part of both of frames 2 and 3. Lateral members 24 and 25 complete the frame and hinges 26 are provided as in the other frames. When the step is removed, the frame is collapsed in the direction of arrow 27.

In members 24 and 25, recesses 28 are formed and a depending strip 29 is secured to said members by hinges 30. The rear edge 31 of step 20 fits under strip 29 to prevent accidental displacement. Step 32 has lateral strips 33 contacting members 24 and 25 and holding the frame 3 in open position.

The stand unit described and shown in Figs. 1 to 3 is sector-shaped in outline with steps 10, 20 and 32 in lateral alignment. This forms a stand 35 as shown in Fig. 5. In order to assemble a number of stands into various arrangements, an additional form of unit is provided. It consists of similar frames and steps, but both frames and steps are of equal width, as shown at 36, 37 and 38. Therefore, the stand unit 39 is rectangular in outline and of the same critical dimensions as stand unit 35. As shown at Fig. 5, several units 35 are placed together and a single unit 39 is disposed between them. Additional units 39 are made the end members of the completed stand.

Although the invention has been described setting forth a single specific embodiment thereof, the invention is not limited to the specific details as various changes may be made Within the spirit of the invention. For instance, the arrangement of various stand units of various forms may be dilferent from that shown in Fig. 5. Each of the frames may be made so that cutout portions appear in the several members to lighten the device. Various types of hinges may be used as appears most convenient. The materials of construction may be any of those suitable for the purpose, including wood, light metals, synthetic materials and the like. These and other changes in the details of construction may be made within the principles herein set forth and the invention is to be broadly construed and not to be limited except by the character of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. A foldable stepped stand comprising at least three rectangular frames of progressively greater height and width, each of said frames consisting only of four vertically placed fiat members hinged together at the corners of said frames, the rear member of the smallest frame extending laterally beyond the side members thereof and constituting the front member of the adjacent larger frame, a depending strip at the front of each frame other than said smallest frame, each said strip being hinged to its respective frame and constituting a riser, and flat steps of increasing width removably fitted on top of said frames, and means for holding said frames in extended osition.

2. A foldable stepped stand comprising at least three rectangular frames of progressively greater height and width, each of said frames consisting only of four vertically placed fiat members hinged together at the corners of said frames, the rear member of the smallest frame extending laterally beyond the side members thereof and constituting the front member of the adjacent larger frame, a depending strip at the front of each frame other than said smallest frame, each said strip being hinged to its respective frame and constituting a riser, and flat steps of increasing width removably fitted on top of said frames, said steps extending rearwardly under and in contact with the lower edges of saidfront members, and means for holding said frames in extended position.

3. A foldable stepped stand comprising at least three rectangular frames of progressively greater height and width, each of said frames consisting only of four vertically placed fiat members hinged together at the corners of said frames, the rear member of the smallest frame extending laterally beyond the side members thereof and constituting the front member of the adjacent larger frame, said stand having three steps, the hinges of the lowest frame permitting folding in one direction, the hinges of the frame adjacent to said smallest frame permitting folding in the opposite direction, the hinges of the third frame permitting folding in said first direction, a depending strip at the front of each frame other than said smallest frame, each said strip being hinged to its respective frame and constituting a riser, and fiat steps of increasing width removably fitted on top of said frames, and means for holding said frames in extended position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,125,194 Sigmund Jan. 19, 1915 1,458,866 Wetzel June 12, 1923 1,818,428 Paysen Aug. 11, 1931 2,115,631 Gorance Apr. 26, 1938 2,575,593 Peery Nov. 20, 1951 

